Nguyen dynasty woodblocks reproduced

The State Records and Archives Department will present a set of
reproduced woodblocks “Chieu doi Do” (the royal proclamation to change
the capital city) and 1,000 copies of two books on Thang Long-Hanoi
featuring the Nguyen dynasty woodblocks, to the Hanoi People’s Committee
on September 24.

The head of the department Vu
Thi Minh Huong said that the woodblocks are the same size as the
original ones, which are 20x29.5cm and 3cm thick.

The original engraved woodblocks, which were discovered by the
National Archives Centre, were used by King Ly Cong Uan and include 214
Chinese characters.

As part of activities to
mark the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, an exhibition of oil
paintings by Croatian artist Anna Tzarev will also be opened in Hanoi
on September 24.

Her paintings of flowers
originate from a famous porcelain painting “Con duong gom su ven song
Hong” (the path along the banks of the Red River ) which will be opened
on the capital city’s millennial birthday.

Other activities include a performance by 18 Vietnamese circus artists
and 19 from a Spanish troupe at the Dragon festival, at the My Dinh
national stadium in Hanoi on October 2.

The programme will include music, the circus, dancing and a firework display./.

Related Articles

• Hanoi boasts many ancient citadels
• Basking in the unspoilt wild of tranquil Quan Son Lake

Theatre compiles anthology

The Royal Hue Traditional Arts Theatre has completed an anthology of
traditional arts, including nha nhac (court music), tuong (classical
theatre) and royal dances, plus a profile of artists.

Theatre director Truong Tuan Hai said 20 practitioners of the traditional arts lived in Hue or its surrounds.

The anthology had been compiled from staff research and field trips to
meet artists who performed for members of the Nguyen dynasty, he said.

The research took more than a year and the invaluable material
collected was compiled into a 250-page profile of the artists and a
glossary of the works they perform.

It includes 22 90-minute tapes and 45 20-minute DVDs of their performances.

The artists surveyed include Tran Kich, who served the court in the
early 20th century, and helped record 30 pieces of royal music.

Although its roots can be traced to the Ho dynasty (1400-07), court
music reached its zenith at Hue's royal court during the Nguyen
dynasty from 1802 to 1945.

Various international
organisations have supported the city in preserving royal music. The
Republic of Korea recently helped remake bronze bells and stone
instruments, crafts that are still popular today.

The set
of bronze bells and stone instruments will be finished by the end of
this year and will be used in the Xa Tac worshipping ceremony dedicating
gods of land and agriculture at the beginning of next year and at the
Nam Giao worshipping ceremony dedicating heaven during the Hue Festival
next year.

Between 2005-08, the Japan Trust Fund, through
UNESCO, gave 154,900 USD for a project to study, collect, store and
restore the court music.

This has helped the younger generation gain access to court music and introduce it to other regions and countries.

Court music was originally found in the courts of royalty and reserved
for annual ceremonies and special events such as coronations, funerals
and official receptions./.